GURU PUJA
SADHANA - 7.30 am
As followers of Srila Prabhupada who is the founder-acarya of ISKCON, we daily offer worship to His Divine Grace.
‘So this guru-pūjā we are doing, it is not self-aggrandizement. It is real teaching. You sing daily, guru-mukha-padma-vākya cittete kariyā aikya. I tell you frankly, whatever little success is there in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, I simply believed what was spoken by my Guru Mahārāja. You also continue that. Then every success will come. Thank you very much.’ (‘Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita’ Volume 2, Chapter 50, excerpt from Srila Prabhupada’s lecture)
Guru-puja is an essential part of the day because in the life of a Vaisnava the most important person is the Guru, who enlightens the disciple with transcendental knowledge
At your home, you can set up a table with a picture of Srila Prabhupada (and a picture of your own Guru, if applicable) and offer Guru Puja after Darshan Arati.
During Guru Puja we offer incense, ghee lamp, water, a cloth and a flower while singing Guru Vandana prayers. Usually, worship of the Guru is performed away from the altar, ie. not in front of the Deities. This puja is a special worship that is offered at each ISKCON temple to ISKCON founder-acarya H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
‘So this guru-pūjā we are doing, it is not self-aggrandizement. It is real teaching. You sing daily, guru-mukha-padma-vākya cittete kariyā aikya. I tell you frankly, whatever little success is there in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, I simply believed what was spoken by my Guru Mahārāja. You also continue that. Then every success will come. Thank you very much.’ (‘Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita’ Volume 2, Chapter 50, excerpt from Srila Prabhupada’s lecture)
Guru-puja is an essential part of the day because in the life of a Vaishnava the most important person is the Guru, who enlightens the disciple with the transcendental knowledge
At your home, you can set up a table with a picture of Srila Prabhupada (and a picture of your own Guru, if applicable) and offer Guru Puja after Darshan Arati.
During Guru Puja we offer incense, ghee lamp, water, a cloth and a flower while singing Guru Vandana prayers. Usually, worship of the Guru is performed away from the altar, ie. not in front of the Deities. This puja is a special worship that is offered at each ISKCON temple to ISKCON founder-acarya H.D.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
THE MOOD OF A DISCIPLE
ESSENTIAL PRAYER
Only by submissively hearing from a bona fide spiritual master and following his instructions, can we make progress on the spiritual path.
THE MOOD OF A DISCIPLE
om ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
‘I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.’
SRILA PRABHUPADA SAID
ONE SHOULD APPROACH A GURU TO LEARN ABOUT TATTVA
by meditating on the lotus feet of the Guru at the beginning of your day, you will remember him for the whole day and you become eligible to offer service to Sri Krishna.
SRILA PRABHUPADA SAID
‘Lord Krishna recommends the same procedure in the “Bhagavad-Gita”, tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. “One must offer obeisances to the guru, inquire from him, and serve him.” If you simply go and ask the spiritual master questions in a challenging spirit but do not accept his instructions and do not render service, then you’re wasting your time. The word used here is pranipatena, “offering obeisances with no reservation.” So reception of transcendental knowledge is based on this pranipata. That is why Krishna says later, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. [Bg. 18.66] “Give up everything else and just surrender unto Me.” Just as we have to surrender to Krishna, we have to surrender to Krishna’s representative, the spiritual master.
THE SURRENDER OF THE SOUL
THE TUNE AND THE LYRICS
This beautiful prayer was written by Srila Narottama Dasa Thakur as an offering to his Guru. You can watch the video to learn the tune of this song and you can sing it while offering an arati to the photo of Srila Prabhupada.
FOR SINGING
LYRICS IN SANSKRIT
GURU VANDANA (SANSKRIT LYRICS)
(1)
śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando muñi sāvadhāna mate
jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi,
kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā ha’te
(2)
guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koribo aikya,
ār nā koriho mane āśā
śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
je prasāde pūre sarva āśā
GREAT PURIFICATION!
GURU VANDANA ENGLISH TRANSLATION
GURU VANDANA ENGLISH TRANSLATION
1) The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krishna.
2) My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires.
HOW TO DO IT
ARATI AT HOME
In this VIDEO you will learn how to do arati at home
